Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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While most people know that few have ever preached like Spurgeon, not nearly so many know that few have ever prayed like Spurgeon. Believe it or not, many who attended his church spoke less of his preaching and more of his praying! The little book The Pastor in Prayer captures some of his pastoral prayers, and today I wanted to share just a brief excerpt of one that seems especially fitting as we prepare to worship on this Lord’s Day. …
As we prepare to join in corporate worship today, we would do well to consider what God accomplishes through such precious means of grace. Here is Spurgeon, in his early days, calling us to let sermons and prayers be our delight. Let sermons and prayers be thy delight, because they are roads wherein the Saviour walketh. Let the righteous be thy constant company, for such ever bring Him where they come. It is the least thing thou canst do to …
Sometimes we all need a little bit of help praying. And when that’s true of me, one place I know to turn is Scotty Smith’s blog where he posts new prayers on a daily basis. One that caught my attention this week was titled Who Gets to Rule Our Hearts This Week?. I thought I’d share it with you as we all begin a new week with its opportunities and temptations. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… Col. …
Do you weep over your sin? There must be some things in life that bring you to tears, but is your sin one of them? We would all do well to consider these powerful words from Thomas Watson’s The Godly Man’s Picture for he warns “how far are they from being godly who scarce ever shed a tear for sin” and goes on to explain the beauty and necessity of repentance. How far are they from being godly who scarce …
We are mirrors. We are mirrors that reflect something of Christ. We gaze upon him, and as we do so some of his character, some of his attributes, some of his loveliness is reflected in us. The old author J.R. Miller once pondered this reality in a sweet little devotional. Take a few moments and appreciate what he says: We look into a little puddle of water at night, and see the stars in it; or by day and see …
As a father, I try to make it a habit to pray for my children each day before they even crawl out of bed. Before they’ve begun their day, I want to have already asked the Lord to bless, keep, and prosper them. Praying for my children was on my mind as I read this sweet, poetic prayer by Amy Carmichael. She did not have biological children of her own, but was Amma (mommy) to hundreds who were delivered to …
Yesterday I returned from a journey. It was not a particularly long one—just a week at a little vacation home five hours away. But even at the end of a relatively short journey, it was a joy to return to my home, to my place, to my bed. And it got me thinking about this prayer from Philip Doddridge. It’s a powerful prayer of praise and worship that is drawn from that wonderful collection of prayers Piercing Heaven. My God, …
One thing that always fascinates me when I read biographies is learning of other people’s habits. That’s especially true when the subject is extremely disciplined. Tim Chester’s Stott on the Christian Life is not quite a biography of John Stott, but it’s not far off. He gives an interesting glimpse of Stott’s normal, well-disciplined routines. Here is what his life looked like: Commitment to discipline and to the disciplines was a feature of Stott’s own personal piety. “Fundamental to all …
Returning to public worship after 14 weeks apart has forced me to reflect anew on the joys of the local church. Perhaps for that reason I especially enjoyed this quote from Gunner Gundersen’s booklet What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church? in which he says “the gathering of the saints is like fresh rain sent by God to strengthen his people.” I’ll let him explain. At all times and in all places, the gathering of the saints is …
On a number of occasions I’ve come across the story of Mendelssohn and the Freiburg organ. The story may be apocryphal, but it still serves its purpose as a vivid illustration. I love this telling of the tale by J.R. Miller and the important lesson that accompanies it. A perfectly holy life would be a perfect song. At the best while on earth, our lives are imperfect in their harmonies—but if we are Christ’s disciples, we are learning to sing …